LolliLove

Last updated

LolliLove
Lollilove-DVD-cover.jpg
DVD cover featuring Gunn and Fischer
Directed by Jenna Fischer
Screenplay byJenna Fischer
Peter Alton
James Gunn
(uncredited)
Story byJenna Fischer
Produced by Stephen Blackehart
StarringJames Gunn
Jenna Fischer
Linda Cardellini
Jason Segel
Judy Greer
Lloyd Kaufman
CinematographyPeter Alton
Edited byPeter Alton
Music byWillie Wisely
Peter Alton
Production
company
LolliLove Productions
Distributed by Troma Entertainment
Release dates
Running time
64 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1,500

LolliLove is a 2004 American mockumentary co-written by, directed by and starring Jenna Fischer. The film satirizes a hip, misguided Southern California couple who decide to make a difference in the lives of the homeless by giving them lollipops with a cheery slogan on the wrapper.

Contents

Production

The film stars James Gunn, Fischer's then-husband, and Peter Alton, who were also co-writers, though about half of the film's dialogue was improvised by the cast. Fischer talked about the creative process behind the film in an interview with a St. Louis magazine:

I started by writing a plot outline. I invited my friends over to the house and I filmed us acting out the scenes. At that point, all of the dialogue was improvised. I gave very general character notes and people just ran with it. I used the tapes to write the script. I expanded the characters and streamlined the dialogue. I found some things that worked and some that didn’t. We all met about six months later to shoot the film. We had a full script at that time. I still encouraged improvisation and some of our best stuff is improvised. But I made sure we did scene as scripted at least once. That way, I knew I had the right material for editing. [1]

The film mixes fact and fiction: Gunn's and Fischer's characters are named James and Jenna Gunn, the film was shot in their actual home, and it incorporates footage from their real-life wedding and home movies. [1]

Principal photography cost $1,500 and was completed in 12 days. [1] The film premiered at the St. Louis International Film Festival (in the hometown of Fischer and Gunn) in November 2004 [2] and appeared at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival and the TromaDance Film Festival in 2005, [3] and screened during the Cannes Film Festival market in May 2006. [4] It was released on DVD by Troma Entertainment on March 7, 2006.

Cast

Reception

The film received mostly positive reviews. A reviewer for Variety described it as "spot-on satire" and "chuckle-packed and satisfyingly tasteless" and wrote that the film "nails the condescending vapidity, manufactured drama and ludicrous self-importance of reality shows". [4] Adam Hackbarth, who interviewed Fischer, recommended the film as a "gritty and hilarious Trojan horse assault on the typical self-loving weekend philanthropist." [1] Upon the film's DVD release, the DVDTalk review said it is "one of the best films of the year - a riotous comedy about charity and the homeless. Really," in spite of being released by Troma Films, and credits director Fischer with infusing "the terribly tricky genre with just the right amount of raucous realism." [5] In Film Threat , the film is described as "so damned believable that it’s difficult, at times, to watch. Director Jenna Fischer has done a remarkable job here and if she continues on this esoteric and off-beat path she may find herself among the ranks of Christopher Guest and company." [6] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club found it "funny, smart and casually satirical," but noted, "even at sixty-five minutes it still feels a little padded, like a killer short film on steroids." [7]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Tromeo and Juliet</i> 1996 American film

Tromeo and Juliet is a 1996 American independent transgressive romantic black comedy film and a loose adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet from Troma Entertainment. The film was directed by Lloyd Kaufman from a screenplay by Kaufman and James Gunn, who also served as associate director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Troma Entertainment</span> American independent film production and distribution company

Troma Entertainment is an American independent film production and distribution company founded by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz in 1974. The company produces low-budget independent films, primarily of the horror comedy genre. Many of them play on 1950s horror with elements of farce, parody, gore, and splatter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Kaufman</span> American film director

Stanley Lloyd Kaufman Jr. is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Alongside producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, such as The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Many of the strategies employed by him at Troma have been credited with making the film industry significantly more accessible and decentralized.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Gunn</span> American filmmaker (born 1966)

James Francis Gunn Jr. is an American filmmaker and studio executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with Tromeo and Juliet (1997). He then began working as a director, starting with the horror-comedy film Slither (2006), and moving to the superhero genre with Super (2010), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), The Suicide Squad (2021), and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2023). In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery hired Gunn and Peter Safran to become co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Fischer</span> American actress (born 1974)

Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress best known for her portrayal of Pam Beesly on the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), for which she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2007. She was also a producer for the show's final season.

<i>Slither</i> (2006 film) 2006 American science-fiction comedy horror film by James Gunn

Slither is a 2006 American-Canadian science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by James Gunn in his directorial debut. Produced by Paul Brooks and Eric Newman, the film stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Saulnier, Gregg Henry, and Michael Rooker. The film is set in a small town in South Carolina that becomes invaded by a malevolent alien parasite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TromaDance</span>

The TromaDance Film Festival is a free annual independent film festival organized by Troma Entertainment. Founded in 1999, TromaDance was originally held in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, operating concurrently alongside the Sundance Film Festival in order to showcase an independent alternative to Sundance's perceived mainstream offerings. Between 2010 and 2013, the festival had been relocated to various locations throughout New Jersey. Since 2014, TromaDance has relocated to New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judy Greer</span> American actress (born 1975)

Judith Therese Evans, known professionally as Judy Greer, is an American actress. She is primarily known as a character actress who has appeared in a wide variety of films. She rose to prominence for her supporting roles in the films Jawbreaker (1999), What Women Want (2000), 13 Going on 30 (2004), Elizabethtown (2005), 27 Dresses (2008), and Love & Other Drugs (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephen Blackehart</span> American actor

Stephen T. Blackehart is an American character actor, author, and producer.

"The Secret" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's nineteenth episode overall. It was written by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Dennie Gordon. The episode first aired on January 19, 2006 on NBC.

Trailer Town is a 2003 low-budget film shot on digital video, written and directed by Giuseppe Andrews and distributed by Troma Entertainment. The film is set in the trailer park where Andrews lives and stars many of the people who were his neighbors at the time. The film has drawn comparisons to the cult films of John Waters, Larry Clark, and Harmony Korine for its semi-realistic yet off-the-wall portrayal of lower-class individuals.

<i>All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from</i> The Toxic Avenger Semi-fictional autobiography of Lloyd Kaufman

All I Need to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger is the biography of Lloyd Kaufman, co-written by Kaufman himself and James Gunn. The book was published by Berkley Boulevard in 1998.

<i>Done the Impossible</i> 2006 American film

Done the Impossible is a 2006 documentary film on the fan following for Firefly. Its focus is on how fans came to love the show and played a part in the production of its feature film continuation Serenity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaak James</span> American film director

Isaak James is an American film director, actor, singer and musician. He is the founder of Last Ditch Pictures. James is based in New York.

<i>Make Your Own Damn Movie!</i>

Make Your Own Damn Movie! is both a book and a DVD set about Troma Entertainment and independent film in general.

Chad Ferrin is an American horror film director, screenwriter, producer and actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Kinyon</span> American film director

Jon Kinyon is an American writer, Emmy Award-nominated TV editor, filmmaker, music producer, and entrepreneur.

Count Smokula is a comedic fictional character created and portrayed by Robert "Smokey" Miles. He has made numerous live appearances, roles in movies, TV shows and internet videos.

<i>Fat Actress</i> American TV series or program

Fat Actress is an American comedy television series starring Kirstie Alley. In the United States, it aired on Showtime from March 7 to April 18, 2005. The series was created and written by Alley and Brenda Hampton.

<i>Cars 3</i> (2009 film) 2009 action comedy film

Cars 3 is a 2009 action comedy film directed by Bobby Hacker. It is based on Hacker's series of comedy videos entitled Cars, which gained popularity after being posted to the comedy video website Funny or Die.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hackbarth, Adam (December 16, 2005). "The Lollilove interview - Jenna Fischer". PlaybackSTL.com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016.
  2. ↑ Williams, Joe (March 18, 2005). "St. Louis theaters become an import-export market". Talking Pictures. St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MO). p. E1. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Lollilove.Net (official site)". Lollilove.net. Archived from the original on April 13, 2009.
  4. 1 2 Nesselson, Lisa (June 14, 2006). "LolliLove". Variety .
  5. ↑ Gibron, Bill (February 9, 2006). "LolliLove". dvdtalk.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2006. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ Curry, Christopher (February 7, 2006). "LolliLove (DVD)". Film Threat . Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
  7. ↑ Rabin, Nathan (August 6, 2007). "The A.V. Club Blog Dispatches From Direct To DVD Purgatory: Lollilove, Grilled and The Big White". The A.V. Club .
  8. ↑ ""The Office" Cast Bios". NBC.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved March 26, 2009.
  9. ↑ "TromaDance Press Conference at the American Film Market 2005". Tromadance.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.